AUTHOR=Quaresma Cláudia , Lopes Barbara , Jacinto Jorge , Robalo Tiago , Matos Mariana , Quintão Carla 

TITLE=OrthoRehab: Development of a New Methodology for the Comparison Study Between Different Types of Ankle–Foot Orthoses in Foot Dysfunction

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Digital Health

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2020

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2020.589521

DOI=10.3389/fdgth.2020.589521

ISSN=2673-253X

ABSTRACT=Foot dysfunction is one of the most likely consequences of rheumatoid arthritis and stroke. It is characterised by severe changes in the gait pattern due to a significant increase in the plantar flexion. Some of these dysfunctions can be compensated by using ankle-foot orthosis. However, the clinical decisions about which orthosis best suits the patient needs is a real problem for physicians/therapists. 
Purpose
The main goal of this paper is to present a quantitative support tool that can assist the physicians/therapists in deciding which orthosis is most suitable for each subject. 
Methodology
In order to achieve this goal, a platform namely OrthoRehab was developed, and it was tested in three conditions: without any orthosis and with two different dynamic ankle-foot orthoses - B and A. The data was acquired in the Gait Laboratory of Rehabilitation Medicine Center of A. using a VICON NEXUS 1.8.5® motion capture system that allows the capturing of kinematic and kinetic data. 
Results
The results reveal that OrthoRehab is a user-friendly, easy to apply tool which analyses very relevant data for the clinical staff.  
Conclusion
The developed decision support tool, OrthoRehab, offers a quantitative analysis and provides insight to which orthosis achieved the best performance in comparison with the patient's gait pattern with no orthosis.